Lego people fly by Earth on S.A.-led mission to Jupiter

Thanks to the Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio has contributed much to the study and exploration of space. Among the sophisticated instruments on board Juno, the San Antonio-led mission to Jupiter, are three Lego figures made from space-grade aluminum. Galileo, the Italian astronomer and mathematician who discovered Jupiter's moons is on the right, accompanied by the Greek god Jupiter (left) and his wife Juno (center). less

Thanks to the Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio has contributed much to the study and exploration of space. Among the sophisticated instruments on board Juno, the San Antonio-led mission to Jupiter, ... more

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This 2010 artist's rendering depicts NASA's Juno spacecraft with Jupiter in the background. NASA's Jupiter-bound spacecraft will swing by Earth for one last visit Wednesday Oct. 9, 2013 before speeding to the outer solar system. Wednesday's flyby allows the Juno spacecraft to gather the momentum it needs to arrive at Jupiter in 2016. less

This 2010 artist's rendering depicts NASA's Juno spacecraft with Jupiter in the background. NASA's Jupiter-bound spacecraft will swing by Earth for one last visit Wednesday Oct. 9, 2013 before speeding to the ... more

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An Atlas V rocket with the Juno spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Friday, Aug. 5, 2011. It was the first step in Juno's 1.7 billion-mile voyage to the gas giant Jupiter, just two planets away but altogether different from Earth and next-door neighbor Mars. less

An Atlas V rocket with the Juno spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Friday, Aug. 5, 2011. It was the first step in Juno's 1.7 billion-mile voyage to the gas giant ... more

Photo: Associated Press

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Scientists at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio in December integrate instruments in the deck of a NASA spacecraft to study how the Earth's and Sun's magnetic fields connect. University of New Hampshire staff provided some instruments for the spacecraft. less

Scientists at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio in December integrate instruments in the deck of a NASA spacecraft to study how the Earth's and Sun's magnetic fields connect. University of New ... more

Photo: Southwest Research Institute

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Scientists at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio in December integrate instruments in the deck of a NASA spacecraft to study how the Earth's and Sun's magnetic fields connect. University of New Hampshire staff provided some instruments for the spacecraft. less

Scientists at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio in December integrate instruments in the deck of a NASA spacecraft to study how the Earth's and Sun's magnetic fields connect. University of New ... more

Photo: Southwest Research Institute

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San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute designed and built the Radiation Assessment Detector, or RAD, a sophisticated, three-pound instrument that will help determine how hazardous conditions are to life on the Red Planet. It's one of 10 instruments on board the Curiosity rover. less

San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute designed and built the Radiation Assessment Detector, or RAD, a sophisticated, three-pound instrument that will help determine how hazardous conditions are to ... more

Photo: NASA

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Southwest Research Institute scientists discovered hydrogen, mercury and other elements in the moon's soil by analyzing ultraviolet light waves reflected off particles in a giant plume, which rose for miles into space when NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into a dark, frozen crater near the south pole. Other researchers confirmed the presence of frozen water. Source: NASA less

Southwest Research Institute scientists discovered hydrogen, mercury and other elements in the moon's soil by analyzing ultraviolet light waves reflected off particles in a giant plume, which rose for miles ... more

Photo: COURTESY PHOTO

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A worker at Southwest Research Institute works in the facility's clean cabin. The institute developed a probe that is among the instruments on board the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt beyond. less

A worker at Southwest Research Institute works in the facility's clean cabin. The institute developed a probe that is among the instruments on board the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt ... more

Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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Bill Gibson of the Southwest Research Institute, in 2005, explains a model of the ultraviolet camera instrument, which is on board the New Horizons mission to and beyond Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.

Bill Gibson of the Southwest Research Institute, in 2005, explains a model of the ultraviolet camera instrument, which is on board the New Horizons mission to and beyond Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.

Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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Dave McComas, senior executive director of the Space and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute, briefs the media in 2006 about the solar wind analyzer on board the New Horizons spacecraft aimed for Pluto at John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. SWRI is responsible for several of the components that will help scientists study Pluto when the spacecraft arrives near the planet in 2015. less

Dave McComas, senior executive director of the Space and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute, briefs the media in 2006 about the solar wind analyzer on board the New Horizons spacecraft aimed ... more

Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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A lab at the Southwest Research Institute is filled with equipment and instruments used to make and prepare instruments for space missions.

A lab at the Southwest Research Institute is filled with equipment and instruments used to make and prepare instruments for space missions.

Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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In 2004, Charles Zinsmeyer, Dave Young, and Ron Black at Southwest Research Institute developed one of the instruments on board the Saturn-bound Cassini spacecraft. A model of the instrument is on the left. The model of the spacecraft is on the right. less

In 2004, Charles Zinsmeyer, Dave Young, and Ron Black at Southwest Research Institute developed one of the instruments on board the Saturn-bound Cassini spacecraft. A model of the instrument is on the left. ... more

Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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Alan Stern, of Southwest Research Institute, with a model of PERSI (Pluto Exploration Remote Sensing Instrument) that collects information on Pluto's geology and atmosphere, Friday January 11, 2002 in San Antonio. less

Alan Stern, of Southwest Research Institute, with a model of PERSI (Pluto Exploration Remote Sensing Instrument) that collects information on Pluto's geology and atmosphere, Friday January 11, 2002 in San ... more

Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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Dr. Chris Ruff, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor was the principal investigator for developing the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System for NASA. The satellites were built here in San Antonio by Southwest Research Institute. He is holding a model of the satellites. less

Dr. Chris Ruff, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor was the principal investigator for developing the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System for ... more

Photo: COURTESY PHOTO

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Lego people fly by Earth on S.A.-led mission to Jupiter

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Launched in 2011, NASA’s Juno spacecraft is passing by Earth today to get a gravity boost and slingshot the probe toward Jupiter, which it’s expected to reach on July 4, 2016. Scientists at San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute hope data from the gas giant will help explain how our solar system formed. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and was likely the first to form.